This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Sweeping tariffs could threaten the US manufacturing rebound

Despite the geopolitical chaos and market collapses triggered by President Trump’s announcement of broad tariffs on international goods, some supporters still hope the strategy will produce a “golden age” of American industry.

In fact, the high and crudely designed tariffs set out by the administration could damage a recent rebound in US manufacturing. Building factories and the supply chains they run on takes years—even decades—of steady investment. Meanwhile, tariffs have the immediate impact of boosting costs for critical supplies, many of which come from overseas—helping to raise prices and, in turn, slowing demand.

None of that is good for those planning to invest in US manufacturing. The longer-terms effects of the tariffs are, of course, unknown. And it’s that uncertainty, above all else, that could derail a reindustrialization still in the early stages for much of the country. Read the full story.

—David Rotman

AI is pushing the limits of the physical world

Architecture often assumes a binary between built projects and theoretical ones. What physics allows in actual buildings, after all, is vastly different from what architects can imagine and design. That imagination has long been supported and enabled by design technology, but the latest advancements in artificial intelligence have prompted a surge in the theoretical. Read the full story.

—Allison Arieff

This story is from the most recent edition of our print magazine, which is all about how technology is changing creativity. Subscribe now to read it and to receive future print copies once they land.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Donald Trump wants to make AI a national priority
That’s in spite of his plans to axe the agency in charge of implementing the plan. (Ars Technica)
+ The new executive action outlines plans for AI courses and programs. (Bloomberg $)
+ But schools across the US are struggling with their existing curriculums. (Axios)

2 Driverless car makers won’t have to report as much crash data
An overhaul of the US Department of Transport’s rules limits what companies need to declare. (Wired $)
+ Unsurprisingly, the new framework benefits Tesla. (The Verge)
+ Officials claim it will allow US automakers to compete better with China. (AP News)

3 Apple plans to wind down US iPhone production in China
Instead, the handsets will be assembled in India. (FT $)+ It’s switching up its supply chains amid the tariff chaos. (Bloomberg $)
+ The change could come as soon as 2026. (The Guardian)

4 Meta is finally cracking down on spam
The days of multiple hashtags are over. (The Verge)

5 How Elon Musk’s friends control access to his company shares
Most people who hold stakes in SpaceX have no idea how much money it makes. (WSJ $)

To a degree that’s never been seen before. (NYT $)
+ Meanwhile, the US is preparing to offer Saudi Arabia a $100 billion arms package. (Reuters)
+ Generative AI is learning to spy for the US military. (MIT Technology Review)

That’s if falling vaccination rates continue. (WP $)
+ How measuring vaccine hesitancy could help health professionals tackle it. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Brazil’s AI welfare app is wrongly rejecting vulnerable applications
Digitizing its complex systems has come at a cost. (Rest of World)
+ An algorithm intended to reduce poverty might disqualify people in need. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“While it is true that an AI has no feelings, my concern is that any sort of nastiness that starts to fill our interactions will not end well.”

—Screenwriter Scott Z Burns reflects on the ethics of not saying please and thank you to chatbots, the New York Times reports.

One more thing

The quest to figure out farming on Mars

Once upon a time, water flowed across the surface of Mars. Waves lapped against shorelines, strong winds gusted and howled, and driving rain fell from thick, cloudy skies. It wasn’t really so different from our own planet 4 billion years ago, except for one crucial detail—its size. Mars is about half the diameter of Earth, and that’s where things went wrong.

The Martian core cooled quickly, soon leaving the planet without a magnetic field. This, in turn, left it vulnerable to the solar wind, which swept away much of its atmosphere. Without a critical shield from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, Mars could not retain its heat. Some of the oceans evaporated, and the subsurface absorbed the rest, with only a bit of water left behind and frozen at its poles. If ever a blade of grass grew on Mars, those days are over. 

But could they begin again? And what would it take to grow plants to feed future astronauts on Mars? Read the full story.

—David W. Brown

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)

+ Understanding the science behind stress can give us handy tools to cope with it.
+ Rockalina the turtle is enjoying the great outdoors after spending close to 50 years indoors.
+ If you don’t have the greenest of thumbs, don’t panic—these plants are super easy to take care of.
+ Why TikTok wants you to live like a dinosaur. 🦕